


Silver

by thecattydddy



Category: Marvel, X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: One Shot, Pietro-centric, X-Men: Apocalypse Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-06
Updated: 2016-10-06
Packaged: 2018-08-19 22:57:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8227628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecattydddy/pseuds/thecattydddy
Summary: Peter's about to die and as he stares up into the face of death, he can't help but wish they had been wrong about his father. That they had just misunderstood, but it was becoming apparent by every second ticking by that they had been right.Erik Lehnsherr - Magneto - was nothing more than a monster.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who is still Maximoff garbage...

“ _ **Foolish child...**_ ”

It happened faster than he could process it, the ground wrapping around his leg and holding him in place, unable to pull his leg free with his next step. It was irritating, until it was unsettling, until En Sabah Nur caught the young man’s hand as it came flying towards him. The pain of having his arm bend at such an uncomfortable angle was enough to make him give a groan in protest, but then something far worse blossomed in the back of his knee, fire spreading through his whole being. He was on the ground, agony raging through his body as he tried to force himself to breath, tried to force his body to ignore the abuse, but it wouldn’t take it. He was not built to _fight_ , he was built to _run away_ ; Wasn’t built to _take_ hits, but to _dodge_ them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Erik turn to look with the sound of his cry, brow furrowing as he took in the scene before him. A bitterness touched Peter’s heart and he couldn’t help his thoughts from turning that same direction.

 _Well, Geez,_ _**Dad** _ _. If there was ever a time to not suck, now would be it._

 _Peter…_ There was a gentleness there. A sympathy in his suffering. One word, just his own name, but it still made Peter jump in surprise. He hadn’t been hiding his reason for coming, but he certainly hadn’t been broadcasting it and having Charles in his head, suddenly _knowing_ exactly what Peter was thinking on the surface of his mind he couldn’t help suddenly wishing it wasn’t so easy to read.

Wishing he didn’t have so much to be _ashamed_ about.

He could feel the tears touching at the corners of his eyes, an effect of the misshapen leg that he purposefully didn’t look at, but he focused his energies on holding that in. It wouldn’t do to start bawling in the middle of the battle.

A hand gripped him roughly by the hairs on the back of his head, pulling them to expose his neck. He could feel everyone’s eyes on his, watching what would happen next. One of En Sabah Nur’s sidekicks rounded the corner, her sword drawn at the ready and briefly Peter’s eyes darted to the side, catching just the smallest glimpse of Erik out of the corner of his eye, what with the way his head was being held in place against his will. The man made no move to do anything. He was going to float out there and continue to tear the whole world to pieces while a young kid was slaughtered in front of him.

 _While his own_ _**son**_ _was slaughtered in front of him._

 _Peter, he doesn’t know_. Charles, ever the one to make excuse. To see the _good_ in someone who was anything but. Peter had come hoping that everyone would be wrong. That his dad wasn’t _evil_ , he was just _misunderstood_. The grip in his hair tightened, the waves of pain still emitting from his injured leg, and Peter began to realize that it’d been him that had been mistaken after all.

 _No! You were right the first time, Peter_.

Mentally, Peter let himself have a brief moment of weakness, his expression twisting into fear. _I don’t want to die_.

Before Charles could speak, another mind was in his own, working through Charles’ touch to inflict one more blow. _**Your father has no use of a weak, rebellious child... And neither do I.**_

“ _ **End him.**_ ”

One last look at her, the one who would take his life, and Pietro could feel his resolve crumbling. He was beaten, he was defeated, he was broken…

_I’m a disappointment._

Closing his eyes as tightly as he could managed, he ignored the protests from Charles and the eyes of his uncaring father. And endless chant echoed inside his skull, driving him closer and closer to tears he did not want to shed.

_I don’t want to die… I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die! I don’t want-_

And like that, the moment shifted, the sword swinging over his head and connecting with En Sabah Nur’s throat and he just cracked open one eye and stared in disbelief. The hand on the back of his head fell loose and Peter let himself pitch forward, catching himself just before he hit his face on the ground. He kept his head trained downwards, unable to look up even as he heard someone choking behind him. Based only on the muttered “ _ **The great hero**_ ,” Peter knew it was Raven who had cut the man’s throat. Who had risked her life to save him.

The great hero, indeed.

Struggling, Peter managed to lift his head, watching the scales dance across Raven’s form as she desperately gasped for air. En Sabah Nur spared her no mercy, ferociously whispering to her before changing his voice into a shout. “ _ **Charles! Come rescue your weaklings! Give your life for theirs!**_ ”

Peter watched in horror as her body slackened, the fight seeming to drip out of her, bit by bit. His eyes widened. After he was done with Raven, En Sabah Nur would turn the attention back to him. Peter was an expendable one and a pawn to use against Charles.

“ _ **Charles? Will you do nothing?**_ ” Despite the slight taunt in his words, Peter took them to be fact. To be true. Charles Xavier wasn’t going to help him now and, frankly, how could he? An eye turned to look again at Erik, who showed no interest in Peter at the moment, gaze locked onto Raven entirely.

How could Charles Xavier help Peter when his own father doesn’t care enough to protect the one family he still had left?

Suddenly, the grip held around Raven’s throat loosened and she tumbled to the ground, En Sabah Nur’s eyes rolling backwards into his head. His eyes glazed over like he was staring at something unseen; Like he was staring at something within his mind, Peter realized.

“Charles?” Peter mumbled, the pain from his leg beginning to blur his vision as the adrenaline coursing through him began to wane. It didn’t last long enough, though, En Sabah Nur beginning to move forward, headed towards the others. Headed towards Charles. It was over. They were finished--

The metal beam that came from the sky startled him, the second having much of the same reaction. Confusion etched for a moment into Peter’s features before he whipped his head around, eyes wide as Erik descended from the sky.

“ _ **You would betray me?**_ ”

“No,” Erik replied, calmly, the metal floating around him, gracefully. “I betrayed _them_.” Peter’s eyes followed the path of the man’s influence, beams and scraps of steel rising from the ground and then, just as quickly, they started propelling themselves towards En Sabah Nur, explosions raining out nearby as they impacted his defenses. Peter ducked his head to keep his eyes away from the blasts, quelling the urge to turn and look to Erik… _To his father_.

 _Okay, so… Not_ _**all** _ _bad._

He didn’t get much time to reflect on that, though. Scott and Hank were quick to make their move, swooping in and carrying first Raven and then Peter out of the fray. Jean stepped out and burst into flames and even through his hazy state, all he could do was watch, equal parts afraid and amazed.

The dust cleared and En Sabah Nur was gone, shredded into ashes. The most of the others sought after Charles, but Erik crossed the path to the two of them, ignoring Peter for the sake of Raven.

“Mystique,” he muttered, kneeling down and bringing one hand to touch her cheek. “You were right… You and Charles, you _are_ my family. You two are all I have left.”

She glanced towards the silver-haired boy, just a moment, before her eyes closed of their own accord, her breathing shallow, but present. “No… There are more, Erik. You just don’t know it, yet.”

She released herself to sleep after that, leaving Erik to turn to Peter, inquiry in his eye as if he thought the boy might be helpful in figuring out what the shifter had meant. This would be the moment he’d missed before, the chance to stare into his father’s face and tell him the truth.

 _I’m your son. I’m your_ _**son** _ _!_

“Beats me,” he croaked with a shrug, only to immediately regret the action. Everything hurt, his leg the most painful of it all. For a moment, he let himself be a little dramatic in wondering if he’d ever be able to run again, but that worry faded as quickly as he’d come. He had people to help him, now. They’d never let that happen to him.

Hopefully.

Erik was gone, again, but someone else came to take his place, even if only mentally. The gentle caress in his mind was enough to sooth at least a touch of the pain. _You can tell him when you are ready, Peter._

_I’m about ready to pass the hell out, if that’s alright with you._

A faint chuckle filled his headspace. _Would you like a hand with that?_

 _That’d be sweet, yeah._ And suddenly, his eyelids fluttered closed, darkness sweeping over him with the lingering thought floating around as his consciousness began to fade.

_He would be proud to be able to call you his son, Peter._

“Yeah?” Peter slurred, seemingly to no one in particular. A slightly doofy smile played at his features, “Thanks, Professor.”

_It is my pleasure, my boy. Now, get some rest._


End file.
